With spring and summer in the Fraser Valley comes an inevitable rise in bear sightings in the area.
To help prevent conflict with wildlife and humans, WildSafeBC now has a community co-ordinator in the area, knocking on doors to help prevent problems.
Jocelyn Buchart is ready for her first season as the WildSafeBC Fraser Valley Community Coordinator.
While the COVID-19 pandemic may be keeping many of us at home, that is not true for the bears and other wildlife that live nearby. As community co-ordinator, Buchart will be working hard to reach out to community members in new and innovative ways that maintain physical distancing and safety for the community.
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From May to Nov. 30, Buchart will be involved in several WildSafeBC initiatives including door-to-door information delivery campaigns, garbage tagging, and in-person delivery of the highly requested WildSafe Ranger Program for school-aged children as well as their Wildlife Awareness and Safety Education sessions.
WildSafeBC describes itself as the provincial leader in preventing conflict with wildlife through collaboration, education and community solutions and is delivered by the BC Conservation Foundation in communities across B.C.
For further information on wildlife and how to reduce human-wildlife conflict visit www.wildsafebc.com, follow WildSafeBC Fraser Valley on Facebook, visit fraservalley@wildsafebc.com or call 604-702-5086.
Anyone interested in WildSafeBC’s free programs can also contact Buchart for more information on how to register.
Anyone who sees wildlife in conflict should report it to the Conservation Officer Service 24/7 at 1-877-952-7277. Residents can also report sightings of bear, cougar, coyote, or wolf in an urban area. These reports are uploaded daily to WildSafeBC’s Wildlife Alert Reporting Program (WARP), available at www.wildsafebc.com/warp. This program allows the public to see what wildlife has been reported in their neighbourhood and be alerted of new sightings.
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